I’m not sure how to explain the price jump in Rayas, which I was not aware of until this thread. Only a few years ago, it’s prices were comparable to those of the Bonneau Celestin and maybe a hundred or so higher than the Beaucastel Hommage or the Pegau Cuvee da Capo. I have no idea of whether or why it is “worth more” than those wines now but not earlier, whatever that might mean at those prices. For those whose preference runs to very big wines, I can imagine thinking the Pegau Cuvee da Capo is better. For those whose preference runs to Burgundy, I can imagine, if one could get the name out of one’s head, one might think it only a slight improvement on most other Grenache based wines. Trying to explain these things in terms of a perfect price-value correlation is a mug’s game.
I can think of at least three, Barroche Pure, all three wines of Chapelle st. Theodoric and I think the new Vieux Telegraphe wine, Piedlong. I would add to that Bastide st. Dominique’s Secrets de Pignan, which is 95% Grenache. I’d bet there are others. These are all excellent wines, putting aside stylistic issues. But only St. Theodoric seems similar to Rayas to me.
All wine prices jumped, not just Rayas. Reasons? Buyoant financial markets but much more important: lots of excess savings everywhere (1tn in the US alone) as people weren’t able to spend it on services and hence much higher demand for goods (inflation everywhere). For a rare bird such as Rayas that will do the trick, especially as suddendly soaring prices make these wines even more prone to rise further (if people see inflating prices they wanna secure it now instead of wait, hence increased demand). You can also see it in the fine wine indices (for example the Cult Wines Index which stayed flat for all of 2018 and 2019 suddendly jumped considerably since Covid started and excess savings started to pile up, alone in 2021 Livex Indices are up >20% for Champagne and >10% for Burgundy, Bordeaux or Italy; inflation/returns clearly above what we experience over the past few years - with exception to Burgundy where it’s more the norm).
I think there are at least 3 major reasons (if not 4) for the quality and style of Rayas:
- Terroir and microclimate: the vineyards –at least 3 different parcels, but actually many small spots – lie not only in the Northern sector of CdP but in the shape of strips between woods (Rayas means strip) … and the soil is a mixture of sand and clay, with most of the stones removed. The microclimate is very cool – and the grapes ripen very slowly and late … Emmanuel once took me into the vineyards at app. 5 pm when the other vineyards were baked in the sunshine and harvest was approaching. The Rayas soil was cool almost as taken out of a fridge! He would not start harvesting for another 3 to 4 weeks.
- Grapes and yields: it´s well known that Rayas is 100% Grenache, but moreover the yields are kept down very low to between 9 and 15 hl per ha, half to a third of what other producer harvest. That´s imho the most important reason for the intensity in Rayas. Sometimes weaker patches are declassified into Pignan, which is a seperate vineyard, but also serves as 2nd wine.
- Wine-making and elevage: vinification does not last extremely long (12 to 15 days); no destemming; the elevage is made in extremely old casks of app. 450 to 600 litre (40 to 100 years old) with absolutely no influence of oak. I think the wines spends a long time on its fine lees, too, with very few handling. Bottling is usually after 16 to 18 months.
- Not to be forgotten: the unique characters of the late Jacques Reynaud and his nephew Emmanuel … you have to have a special (some would say: stubborn) character to produce such an uncompromising wine - regardless of financial considerations - which is committed only to the tradition of the winery.
I am told there has been at least one very concerted buyer over the past year whose instruction to his broker has been to buy at almost any price. That, coupled with some very short vintages, lower volumes being released from the Domaine and the existential threat of climate change probably mean it has established a new level.
I think this explanation is better than Andy’s above since other wines that were similar in price a few years ago have not jumped to the same extent. I don’t know if what you have been told is true, but it makes sens as an explanation.
Agree. With scarce wines like Rayas, it doesn’t take more than a handful of zealous buyers to move the market.
True, somebody cornering the market would explain the extend of the Rayas increase better. Everything went up strongly (you can see that inflation in most other asset prices too) due to the excess savings and higher demand for goods but most wines increased by 20% (and some 40-50%) but I haven’t seen any big names which showed the same 100-150% increase Rayas did.
I do think there are other examples of similar increases – just none of them except perhaps Keller exploded beyond the any comparables within their appellations. When things become fashionable, prices get stupid. Arnaud Ente, Bartolo Mascarello, Juge Cornas, everything Keller, Roumier, Allemand, and others have seen 100-150% increases or close to it.
Difference with a Rayas and say a Latour is that price jump is on the secondary market with too much demand, price speculation and trophy wine aspect. If I could buy Latour at 140 € I would (current price of Rayas at domaine) …I know that’s also the case for a lot of Burg but there are other regions and Chateaux where winemakers decided to almost align to prices on secondary market (which I can understand in some ways, why just let the intermediary get all the money) and hence “get rid” a lot of their individual/historical clientele.
Sorry I missed it. What was the question?
Does any other CdP producer utilize the process of pasteurization?
Not to the best of my knowledge. But you need to keep in mind two things. First, the process is patented by Beaucastel, so I doubt anyone else is able to do that, at least not without a license. Next, it is not the wine, but the grape skins that are flash heated, which is different from pasteurization. At Beaucastel, they never use the term pasteurization.
I feel like an outsider here having only heard about Rayas in the last year or so. At the quoted prices, I doubt that I ever get a chance to taste it, but I don’t see how it can be worth 10x the best known (and available) 100% Grenache CdPs. I’m sure it’s great wine like Screaming Eagle is great and DRC RC is great, but it seems like a combination of scarcity and caché. A lot of money chasing a few bottles.
Not that I would ever agree with Alf, but I agree with Alf. I have gotten advice a few times to go out and buy as much of a certain wine as I could possible buy. Let’s see. 2000 Bordeaux First Growths (from Jean Charles Cazes). 2001 Yquem (from Alois Kracher) and either 1989 or 1990 La Tache (from a former law partner). Oops. I did not listen to any of them.
Buy the damn Rayas. As much as you can afford. You can thank me. I will likely be dead when it is ready, but if not, you will owe me a bottle. The 1999 Rayas I had was the closest I ever had to a wine epiphany and the 2001 that I am waiting to drink is supposed to be much better.
As an aside, the only wine that I have had that has a similar smooth, dare I say sexy and erotic, profile of purity was Henschke Hill of Grace. A shiraz not a grenache, but similar in overall presentation.
In case of Rayas it really is 10x better because it is so singular and so different from everything else. You can literally not compare it to other CDPs, they’re just too different. Screaming Eagle is just “another” good Napa and I had Screaming Eagle in Napa flights and it did not won. Same for RC: in 4 DRC tastings I had RC was never the winner (to be fair, because all 4 tastings were vintage horizontals and RC needs more time than others) but Rayas crushed every single CDP tasting (or any tasting but one where it has ever been included).
OK. We have been discussing this in our wine group and we may pool our funds and seek out a bottle. We got a set of La-Las this way and a few other famous wines. So far there have been no transcendent experiences, but we’re still looking. If your were seeking one bottle of Rayas to consume in the near future, what would it be?
If you can get one from early 90s with good providence, I would start there.
Just to give some reference on pricing - here are current prices in France:
- Rayas bought at the domaine: 135 € (at least that’s what I paid this summer for the 2010)
- Rayas bought at a “normal” wineshop: 250-400 € depending on shop, vintage, …
- Rayas at auction (idealwine): 600-800 € for the 2004, 1200 € for 2005 => these are crazy prices that started about 3-6 months ago
- Bonneau Célestins: difficult to find below 250-300 € depending on vintage
- Beaucastel Hommage: 400+ €
- Marcoux VV, many high-end cuvées at different domaines: 100 €
- Charvin: 40 € for a recent vintage
So really, at least in France, Rayas is really not that expensive compared to many other C9DP. And quite a bargain compared to Burgundy!
Alain